News

Sway Parish Council News

This is a brief summary of significant items that may be of interest to the residents of Sway or that relate to the activities of Sway Parish Council. For official minutes of meetings, refer to the appropriate meeting minutes.. If there is anything you feel should be mentioned here, please email info@sway-pc.gov.uk.

16 & 17 September 2017 Wiggle New Forest 100 Mass cycling event coming through Sway. First riders expected to arrive in Sway at 08:45. Last riders at 12:50. Click here for more details.

If there are any problems during the event, please contact UK Cycling Events Ltd on 07591 206394 (only to be used on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th) Other times, please use their office number 01425 653372.

10 September 2017 The New Forest Marathon came through Sway today. Some 2 dozen Sway residents volunteered to help marshal the event and were stationed around the village, Setthorns, Wilverley and Wootton Inclosures. The weather was generally kind to us, although some of the runners would have experienced a sharp shower or two later on in the afternoon. I hope all agree that it was a highly successful and worthwhile day's marshalling. The runners were amazing - well done everyone. Click on the thumbnail opposite to see a montage of images from before and during the event. The Forestry Commission really came up trumps with the improvement to the path down to the temporary bridge by Wootton Coppice Inclosure, and the runners helped immensely by compacting the path material for future walkers and horse riders. Why use a roller when all you need is a few hundred runners!

12 September update This email arrived from the New Forest Marathon team:On behalf of Andy, Chris and I, we would just like to say a huge thank you to you and all of the Sway Community for helping and assisting at the New Forest Marathon this year in 2017! Please could you circulate this message to all of those who assisted as I do not have everyone's email addresses.Without your support and kindness there would not be an event! The feedback we have received from runners and spectators has been fantastic; you honestly helped to make this event so special for a vast number of people! I will be collecting and emailing out some of these amazing comments soon; all of which refer to how amazing our volunteers were!Thank you for your exceptionally friendly, upbeat and supportive attitude; honestly it was great to work alongside you and we would love for this to continue next year! I was yet again so impressed by the community spirit demonstrated by the residence of Sway; this was really great to see.Andy, Chris and I are all looking forward to hopefully meeting you all at Sway Village Hall in the next few months to personally say thank you for all of your help.Once again, thank you for the time you dedicated!Kind Regards, Ian

9 September 2017 End of yet another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. 67 vehicles recorded speeding in 6.5 hours of surveys. No vehicles above 50 mph however a number were being driven dangerously for the conditions particularly at Arnewood Bridge Road where standing water made the road particularly bad. Two vehicles in particular stand out. One, a BMW X5 was initially clocked at 38 mph, but accelerated to 43 passing SID and continued accelerating up the hill towards Sway village. The other, a grey Jaguar F type was being driven in a particularly aggressive manner in the opposite direction. We estimate it to be doing between 60 and 70 mph heading towards the double bends. Such drivers are a menace to all around them and are unlikely to ever learn until they discover it is too late.

25 September feedback from the police:

Number failing PNC checks = 4: No current Owner = 3, PNC mismatch = 1

Number of letters sent =57: Letter 1 = 49, Letter 2 = 8

Number escalated = 6 - all multiple incidents

It is worthwhile highlighting that SpeedWatch is a community based scheme intended to educate motorists on the need to drive safely and considerately below the speed limit. Excessive speed is a major contributory factor in injuries and deaths on the road and is also highly antisocial to those having to share or live alongside those roads.

If you are as concerned as us about speeding around the local area, why not help us out. Depending on weather and time of year, we try and run two sessions per day across 1 week in every month. Sessions typically are one to one and a half hours long. Volunteers choose to attend as many or as few sessions as they feel comfortable with. You'd not only be doing valuable work for the local community, you'd also make lots of friends. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested. It is a great way of meeting people and holding highly fascinating conversations during those quieter moments between those speeding vehicles!

3 September 2017Wootton Riverine Wetland Restoration Project latest status. The Forestry Commission have made good the path between the Wootton Coppice Inclosure boundary gate and the Avon Water crossing (point 9 on their plans). The result is a well constructed dry path allowing horse riders, walkers etc to access the crossing point safely. Excellent work and many thanks to both the Forestry Commission and the organisers of the New Forest Marathon for achieving this.

24 August 2017 Sway Parish Council Meeting - a few seconds of the minutes. [744kb] Quotes being sought for playground maintenance works. Mollie Mold Memorial Bench fully funded so no contribution needed from SPC. Sway Councillors voted to continue not to be remunerated for their work. Police say recent spate of burglaries appear to have ceased but extra patrols will continue. UK Cycling Events' Managing Director Natalie Hicks and Logistics Manager Jo Pickering answered questions on mass cycling events. More details can be found here. S106 Stanford Rise project next phase enhancement works will begin shortly. Councillors being asked to suggest new projects for the future. In AOB Cllr Warden reported disturbing news from HCC about their future plans for Cango.

24 August 2017 Nigel Mathews from the NPA has picked up that the New Forest Rattler Cycling Event is due to take place on this Sunday 27th of August. The reason for the late advice is that the organisers have failed to register the event with the Safety Advisory Group and therefore the event doesn't not appear on the Event Register and we have not had sight of any event plans.

Wootton Coppice Inclosure / Brownhills Inclosure works are now complete and they will be withdrawing from this area including removing stockpiles.

They will not now be commencing on the Broadley phase 2 until early 2018 ( May time)

They are stopping tree work in Broadley now till after the summer holidays and removing logs currently blocking tracks

We have also heard that they intend to make good the track between Wootton Coppice Inclosure and the crossing at point 9 in time for the New Forest Marathon event next month however that is still to be confirmed.

13 August 2017 End of yet another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. 123 vehicles recorded speeding in 7.75 hours of surveys. Two vehicles were being driven at over 50 mph - highly dangerous in a 30 mph speed limit.

1 September 2017 update - feedback from the police: 1 record failed PNC checks as no current owner. Of the rest, 96 letter one and 17 letter 2 were sent and the rest were escalated for personal visits - 7 for being recorded three or more times in the past 12 months, and 2 for excessive speed.

It is worthwhile highlighting that SpeedWatch is a community based scheme intended to educate motorists on the need to drive safely and considerately below the speed limit. Excessive speed is a major contributory factor in injuries and deaths on the road and is also highly antisocial to those having to share or live alongside those roads.

If you are as concerned as us about speeding around the local area, why not help us out. Depending on weather and time of year, we try and run two sessions per day across 1 week in every month. Sessions typically are one to one and a half hours long. Volunteers choose to attend as many or as few sessions as they feel comfortable with. You'd not only be doing valuable work for the local community, you'd also make lots of friends. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested. It is a great way of meeting people and holding highly fascinating conversations during those quieter moments between those speeding vehicles!

1 August 2017Friends of Sway Village Hall will be holding an Open Village Hall Drop-In session on Saturday 16 September between 2.00 & 4.00pm.

If you would like to contact them to talk before September, or would like to speak to them privately about a donation, please email: swayvillagehalltrust@gmail.com

28 July 2017 You may have spotted a letter in the July 21st edition of the Lymington Times from the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel informing local residents of an upcoming survey into traffic related crime. If you have any views on such things as speeding, anti Social behaviour linked with the use of a motor vehicle, theft of property from motor vehicles, animal casualties within rural areas and also on the effectiveness of Community SpeedWatch, then please make them known by filling in and sending off the form that can be found on the Hampshire PCP website.

23 July 2017 Community SpeedWatch volunteers from Sway, Tiptoe and Lyndhurst spent a wet but thoroughly enjoyable four hours or so on Sunday at Beaulieu monitoring speeds of some of their more unusual vehicles including two of Edd China's Wacky creations. BBC South Today featured this in their programmes on Monday however they completely missed our speed checks! Click here to see some of our photos 2017-07-23 Beaulieu Wacky Record Breakers [2Mb]

20 July 2017 Sway Parish Council meeting - a few seconds of the minutes [4Mb] . Reports of antisocial behaviour at night at Jubilee Field - action will be taken. Idea of bench at Youth Centre in memory of Molly Mould approved. Some minor repairs needed to playground matting - quotes sought. Football club volunteer to redecorate JF Pavilion corridors and changing rooms - SPC to provide paint. S106 Stanford Rise - drainage working and grass growing well after recent rain! Path works will be done around end August. MOU for wild play equipment signed - work will begin soon. Gracewells have offered recently felled tree wood for this. Volunteers needed to help assemble the play equipment - contact FOSR chair Rachel Charlton if interested or email info@sway-pc.gov.uk. JFP Project new proposal from SSC trustees expected next month. Sway Village Hall looking for funding for expansion project. Grants: £2,000 to Cricket Club to complete pavilion works and £1,000 with conditions to Little Flyers for Summer Playscheme. Annual tree survey to be commissioned. CSW at Beaulieu Wacky Record Breakers this Sunday. Rules for Annual Sway Parish Council Award Scheme approved. AOB - recent spate of burglaries triggers request for Police to provide regular updates to SPC. Cango safe till March 2018 and hopefully 2019 but must be used or we will lose it. HCC Rural Communities Fund reminder. Watch out for possibly illegally operated drone in South Sway area.

15 July 2017 End of yet another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. A much quieter week than usual. Total amount of traffic was considerably lower than usual. 97 vehicle details sent to police. Highest speed recorded was 44 mph in a 30 mph area.

7 Aug update the police sent 79 letter one, 14 letter two and escalated 3 for personal visit as having been caught three or more times in the past 12 months. One record was rejected as not matching the vehicle description on their database.

If you are as concerned as us about speeding around the local area, why not help us out. Depending on weather and time of year, we try and run two sessions per day across 1 week in every month. Sessions typically are one to one and a half hours long. Volunteers choose to attend as many or as few sessions as they feel comfortable with. You'd not only be doing valuable work for the local community, you'd also make lots of friends. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested. It is a great way of meeting people and holding highly fascinating conversations during those quieter moments between those speeding vehicles!

23 June 2017 Latest information on the status of the Wootton Riverine Wetland Restoration project. Phase 1 almost complete and Phase 2 will start next Monday 26th June. Click on the thumbnail opposite to see a map showing the Phase 2 Haulage Access Routes through Broadley Enclosure.

22 June 2017 Sway Parish Council meeting - a few seconds of the minutes [459kb]. Hampshire County Councillor Keith Mans presented highlights of HCC plans. £140m still needs to be saved. Cllr Mans agreed in principal to help support the Cango booking service through his devolved budget. Next tranche of S106 money will soon be received - £11,660. Drainage work largely completed. Agreement in principal to Sway Village Hall's plans to take some of Stanford Rise Public Open Space for extension and have temporary access across part of remainder. MOU also agreed. Concerns raised over parking. SRPOS Natural Play items approved by majority (7 for, 1 against and 1 abstention). Planning and Transport application 17/00356 April Cottage, Station Road SO41 6AB - 2. 17/00403 Hatch Motors to be reviewed at 13th July meeting. SPC Annual Awards Scheme will be carried forward - sponsors will be sought. Cricket Club to seek grant from SPC to complete pavillion improvements. Sway Social Club trustees will be bringing a scheme for JF pavillion extension to SPC after SSC members have approved it.

21 June 2017 The New Forest National Park are running another consultation into their Recreation Management Strategy that they are calling Future Forest. To find out more and have your say, please follow this link to the NFNPA Future Forest webpage.

17 June 2017 End of yet another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. 153 vehicle details sent to police. Highest speed recorded was again 54 mph in a 30 mph area. If you are as concerned as us about speeding around the local area, why not help us out. Depending on weather and time of year, we try and run two sessions per day across 1 week in every month. Sessions typically are one to one and a half hours long. Volunteers choose to attend as many or as few sessions as they feel comfortable with. You'd not only be doing valuable work for the local community, you'd also make lots of friends. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested. It is a great way of meeting people and holding highly fascinating conversations during those quieter moments between those speeding vehicles!

6 July update Feedback from the police. All 153 records passed PNC checks. 119 letter one and 31 letter two sent out. The other three were escalated for a personal visit, 1 for excessive speed and 2 having been caught three or more times in the past 12 months.

16 June 2017 Latest update on the Stanford Rise Public Open Space S106 project. Ideas for the wild play area to be funded by a grant from the NFNPA are now on the Sway S106 Stanford Rise Project page. These will also be on display at the Parish Council meeting this Thursday June 22nd Jubilee Field Pavilion. Meeting starts at 7:30 pm.

16 June 2017 New Forest National Park Authority are running another consultation on the Draft Local Plan. Here is an extract from the NFNPA website:

We have recently received advice from Natural England on the issue of greenfield residential development close to the protected habitats of the National Park. As such, we have re-assessed a number of the proposed Local Plan housing site allocations. Between June and July 2017 we are inviting feedback on potential alternative housing sites and the comments received will inform the preparation of the Submission draft Local Plan in October 2017.

However, note that the consultation period for this application officially ends on 6 July so please ensure that any comments, objections etc are sent to the NFNPA prior to that date.

29 May 2017 Community SpeedWatch were one of the many organisations featured at today's 999 show at Beaulieu. Two of Sway's volunteers were there along with Hordle and Minstead and our SIDs (Speed Indication Displays). It was quite a challenge measuring the speed of some of the vehicles there!

26 May 2017 Sway Football Club will be holding a Golf Day at Crane Valley Golf Club, The Clubhouse, Verwood, Dorset, BH31 7LE on Friday 26th May to raise funds for the club. Click on the logo opposite or contact Andrew Blackwell for details.

25 May 2017 The Parish Council have been informed about a tentative proposal to demolish and redevelop the site of Hatch Motors to provide a convenience store, 6 apartments and 4 three-storey town houses. Detailed plans are not yet available but this design and access statement [482kb] contains a lot of useful information about the proposal. Graham Hatch wishes to assure his customers that Hatch Motors will continue to operate at other premises reasonably locally if all goes well and the plans are approved.

22 May 2017 Sway Welfare Aid Group Extraordinary Meeting of Members

A short special meeting of the members (the volunteers, supporters and beneficiaries of the charity) to discuss proposed changes to SWAG's constitution will be held on Monday, 22nd May 2017 at 7:00 p.m. in the Church Rooms. This extraordinary meeting will be followed immediately by SWAG's already scheduled May Public Meeting. All members are welcome to attend both meetings.

Jon Hartley

20th May 2017 Another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. 118 vehicle details sent to police. Highest speed recorded 54 mph. If you are as concerned as us about speeding around the local areas, why not help us out. It only takes an hour or two of your time once a month. You'd not only be doing valuable work for the local community, you'd also make lots of friends. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested. It is a great way of meeting people and holding very fascinating conversations during the quieter moments between those speeding vehicles!

All our SpeedWatch locations were Health and Safety checked by the police on Tuesday 16th May. This has to be done every few years to ensure the safety of our volunteers and of the motoring public.

8 June 2017 update from the police. Of the 118 records sent, 2 were for vehicles for which there was no current owner registered. So 93 were sent letter 1, 16 letter 2 and the remaining 7 were escalated for personal visits, 6 having been caught 3 or more times in the past 12 months and 1 for excessive speed.

17 May 2017 Sway Parish Council has received a letter from the Trustees of Sway Social Club withdrawing the offer previously made to support the proposed Jubilee Field pavilion development and the creation of a MUGA.

Those individuals and organisations that have previously expressed an interest in being involved in the project will be contacted as soon as more information becomes available.

15 May 2017 Work is expected to recommence on the Wootton Riverine Wetland Restoration Project from this day. Initially the plan is to complete the phase 1 work to the west of Wootton Bridge that had to be halted last September. Then work will move on the stream to the East of Wootton Bridge down to a point about 100 metres upstream from the footbridge across Avon Water between Setthorns Inclosure and Boundway car park.

13 May 2017 Sway Parish Council at Tiptoe May Fayre today. After rather damp setup the weather brightened for the event itself. Many people came over to talk to us about Community SpeedWatch in Sway, Hordle and New Milton. General concensus is that CSW is good but more is required. Many talked about the recent animal casualties up on the open forest. Most thought that there should be more police enforcement of speed limits and implementation of more effective speed reduction measures by highways authorities. Speed Cameras and flashing Speed Limit Reminders were main suggestions.

11 May 2017 Very sad to hear that local resident Graham Levers passed away yesterday. Graham had been a parish councillor and was a very active member and chairman of Sway Tennis Club and secretary of the Jubilee Field User Group. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.

11 May 2017 Sway Planning and Transport Committee - a few seconds of the minutes [2Mb]. TPO/17/0363 Big Sky, Manchester Road. Defer till after site visit with NFNPA tree officer and Cllr Seacombe. Some of cedar tree that had to be felled at Manor at Sway kindly donated to Stanford Rise project for seating and carvings. 17/00316 The Squirrels Middle Road - 1. 17/00341 Everglade Farm, Mount Pleasant Lane - 5 with concerns about lack of necessary detail and possible impact on environment. Appeal 317160 against refusal of 16/00910 Retention of single storey rear extension at Unit 1 of Old School House site. Info only but we will try to submit our NFNPA PDCC presentation. Cango figures about the same with more new passengers on board. Question about funding of booking system with 3 new County Councillors. Anticipate verge cutting soon. Should practice what we preach at JF. CSW - all sites to be reviewed next week and new location requested on South Sway Lane. Wootton Riverine works restart next Monday.

8 May 2017 Stanford Rise Open Space will be closed from 8th May for 3-4 weeks while George Farwell carry out drainage improvement works as part of the S106 funded project. During this time for your own safety we ask that you do not attempt to access the site from any of the entrances. Plans for the new path and improvements to the entrances can be seen on this web page or by clicking on the thumbnail opposite.

8-14 May 2017 Fourth United Nations Road Safety Week. But you don't have to wait until then to make a difference. Simply drive safely below the speed limit and be considerate to all other road users whether they be humans, ponies, cattle, donkeys ... everyone.

At the Parish Council Meeting (minutes [520kb]), Replacement Oak bench at Adlams Lane agreed. Cllr Thornber spoke at length on Hampshire County Council achievements and other matters. Application submitted for extended licence at JFP. Start and Finish Task Group now called Jubilee Field Project Group - report of first meeting here. Contractor for SROS path and gates agreed - work to start after drainage works (NB Pedestrian gate will not now be moved). Co-option policy deferred till next mtg.

22nd April 2017 Another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. 95 vehicle details sent to police. Highest speed recorded 51 mph. Numbers low due to it being Easter week. We still need more volunteers so please email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested. It is a great way of meeting people and holding very fascinating conversations during the quieter moments between those speeding vehicles! It's also a very worthwhile way of giving something back to the community. It will not however keep you off the streets!!

9 May 2017 update - 91 records passed PNC checks. 84 letter 1 and 5 letter 2 were sent. The others were escalated for personal visits - 1 for high speed and 1 for being recorded speeding three or more times in the past 12 months.

13 April 2017 Now the holiday season is upon us and the New Forest is drying out after the winter, it's vitally important for everyone to realise that lighting fires of any sort on the New Forest is not only illegal, it is stupid. This includes bar-b-qs, bonfires, anything. There are specific areas set aside for bar-b-qs in Wilverley Inclosure. Do not light any fire anywhere else. These people were very lucky that someone was vigilant enough to call the emergency services before this one got out of hand.

If you see any such behaviour, please always call 999 or 101 depending on the severity so that the situation can be dealt with before it escalates into a massively destructive forest fire.

From 13 April 2017 the Prevention Zone rules have changed. Keepers are not now required to house poultry or have total range netting in place in Higher Risk Areas of England. However, they must continue to follow detailed biosecurity requirements.

31 March Catch Julian Clegg's "the big conversation" at 9am on BBC Radio Solent for debate on how to tackle the problem of Animal road Casualties. Join in!

27-31 March Keep an ear on BBC Radio Solent. They will be running a series of programmes spotlighting Animal Road Casualties across the New Forest. We believe that this will start with Julian Clegg's breakfast show on Monday 27 March (6:30am-10:00am). For information about some of the issues involved visit our webpage here and for some extremely sage advice on how to drive safely on New Forest roads, click on the Shared Forest logo opposite.

29 March 2017 Sway CSW featured on Julian Clegg's Breakfast show between 08:20 and 08:40 on BBC Radio Solent. And another Sway resident Tony Hockley featured on Sascha Twining's show around 12:10 talking about ways in which people might be persuaded to drive at a more appropriate speed. For such a small village, Sway has done pretty well for airtime today. However Archers Fans will know that Ambridge with an even smaller population will be getting much more air time on road safety matters as they may be setting up their own Community SpeedWatch! Trust Lynda Snell to get more of the limelight! Can we write her script please?

24 March 2017 End of another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. 126 vehicle details sent to police. Highest speed recorded 48 mph by 2 vehicles in 30 limits. Pitmore Lane near Pauls Lane / Mountpleasant Lane was amazingly well behaved in very poor weather. Other locations were sadly much as ever. Very encouraging to have 3 new volunteers join us, and we would welcome more to spread the load further and survey more roads. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested. It is a great way of meeting people and holding very fascinating conversations during the quieter moments between those speeding vehicles! It's also a very worthwhile way of giving something back to the community. It will not however keep you off the streets!!

7 April 2017 feedback from the police. 121 letters have been sent out: 107 first letters, 9 second letters and 5 hand delivered by police as caught 3 or more times in past 12 months.

23 March 2017 Sway Parish Council meeting - a few seconds of the minutes [3Mb]. Another full house in the public gallery! JFP Central Heating broke down again, boilers unrepairable and had to be replaced urgently - cost probably similar to last year's underspend. JF Cricket pitch voted pitch of the year. Adlams Lane bench replacement - decision next month. Start and Finish Task Group for potential redevelopment of JFP:- ToRs agreed, members will be Cllrs Golby, Cripps, Turner and Pepper. The group may invited others as required. S106 Stanford Rise: drier weather so clerk to chase Farwells to get drainage sorted ASAP, FoSR meeting Tue 28 Mar 7pm at JFP to discuss design responses with Village Hall, Scouts, Wild Play etc. Proposal for SPC to apply for Village Hall and Scout Hut pre-application advice agreed by majority (3 abstentions). Tiptoe May Fayre - 4 Cllrs volunteered to attend. Vote at supermarket nearby for grant to go to Sway Village Hall. Planning fees to increase by 20% next month. Listen to Radio Solent next week for more Community SpeedWatch news and watch out for stiffer speeding penalties coming April 24th. South West Trains to be asked about bus replacement service time publicising.

19 March 2017 The New Forest Commoners Defence Association have provided us with a very thought provoking and sobering analysis of the dangers of driving at night on the unfenced forest roads. When driving at the 40 mph speed limit, the stopping distance may often be further than the distance you can see. On seeing this, a member of the Verderers' staff said, 'The ponies don't stand a chance.' Click on the logo opposite to view their document or select here for more information about Animal Casualties. And please drive safely below the speed limit and be considerate to all other road users whether they be human or animal.

16 March 2017 Cllr Edward Heron was guest speaker at Minstead's Annual Parish Assembly last night. He spoke on various subjects including things currently being considered to reduce animal road casualty figures on the open forest. Points to note from his talk:

The BBC will be concentrating on Animal Casualties for a whole week in the near future (next week?) so keep an eye and ear out for that.

Major cause of animal accidents is not believed to be speed (that is second). First is awareness - ie lack of awareness of drivers to the fact that animals do not signal their intention to wander across your path.

There are three main areas being considered to reduce animal casualties: - Rumble strips - Signage (already being done) - Average Speed Cameras on high risk routes

9 March 2017 Sway Planning and Transport Committee - a few seconds of the minutes [5Mb]. Wootton Riverine Access Problems. One problem area close to crossing has been fixed. HLS contract manager said he wants to review remainder again in dryer months with FC recreation team. In meantime, no additional action will be taken. New applications: 17/00086 Middle House, Middle Rd Tiptoe - info only. 17/00063 15 Widden Close - 5. 17/00134 Highbury Brighton Rd - 1. 17/00154 Old School House plot 2 - 5. 17/00149 Shallfleet - deferred. 17/00102 St Dominics Priory - 1. 17/00091 Hazlehurst Farm Flexford Lane - 4. NFNPA PDCC Menage at Toby Cottage decision deferred. NFNPA Draft local plan summary of responses available here. CANGO numbers increasing. HCC have erected new animal aware signs on B3055. Member of public complained strongly about standard of pothole repairs - see this week's Lymington Times page P4 for HCC's immediate response! Sway CSW has 2 new volunteers with 2 more hopefully in the pipeline, but highlights need for alternative measures to slow down vehicles - to be debated further in next month's meeting. Finally Wiggle on 8/9 April - more details here.

10 March 2017 Are our litter picking heroes already preparing for the Great British Spring Clean 2018? The litter throwing villains certainly are! This large bag full of cans and other food wrappings etc was collected this morning on my daily walk around the lanes barely a week after we cleaned up everything from these lanes. Most of what you see here was discovered in one very short stretch of Coombe Lane informally referred to locally as the watersplash. I can only presume that the perpetrators' cars are pristine inside as they so regularly clean them straight out of the windows. I would dearly love to return their rubbish to them in the same fashion, but have instead put it into my household waste for collection next week!

C'MON PEOPLE. The Countryside is not your litter bin - please stop treating it as such.

3-5 March 2017Great British Spring Clean 2017. Various people were out and about around the village and surrounding Parish clearing the litter and other stuff from the verges and elsewhere. This was Sway's response to the national initiative and an extension to the leaf cleanup work done before Christmas. Ted Watts again kindly volunteered to organise it all. NFDC provided equipment such as high-vis jackets, black sacks and litter pickers. All our litter picking heroes should read this guide Litter picking_VOLUNTEER_NFDC guide 2 [69kb].

3-4 MarchUpdate from South Sway-: 2 Councillors cleaned up 2 miles of rural lanes and already 6 bags full - one from just 50 yards of Mountpleasant Lane. Lots more to do out this way! And from our Councillor in deepest darkest Tiptoe:- Just done Great British Spring Clean: mostly drinks litter: cups, cans & bottles. Some crisp packets & sweet wrappers, a few dog poo bags. And from North of Sway: councillor's wife cleaned up a Big Mac fly tip at Longslade Bottom Car Park. Possible id of perpetrator passed on to police as wallet found at scene!

5 March Update from East Sway Councillor:- Church Lane 3 bags including 1 tyre, 1 side to a wheel chair, 1 hanging basket bracket, Numerous drink cans and coffee cups with lids, Beer and vodka bottles.Durnstown - yet another Councillor:- From Hare and Hounds towards Brock up on the forest alongside the road both sides. Picked up a fair amount, but the ditches were full of water so think that hid quite a lot of things! Amazing how many cigarette ends there were - I lost count - but must have picked up over 200! We also picked up a fair amount of glass, which could have caused injury to an animal.And finally from South Sway again:- Mountpleasant Lane again as far down as Kings Hyde, plus Pitmore Lane from Kings Lane half way to Mill Lane both sides - one extremely full sack (almost too full to tie closed)! And around Shirley Holmes car park plus about 50 yards of Pitmore Lane at and north of the cattle grid - another full sack plus one broken litter picker (sorry)!

There were lots more heroes out and about this weekend and so much of Sway was cleaned that it is simplest to show graphically, so please click on the map opposite to see where all of our volunteer litter picking heroes have been. This map will be updated as further information comes in.

We can be heroes just for one day.(David Bowie 1947-2016)

1 March 2017 If you have to put household rubbish bags out before the normal waste collection day, it would really help our Great British Spring Cleaning Heroes considerably if they could be put into a dustbin or similar container with a lid (the bags that is - not the heroes!). If you just leave them out on the ground, even just overnight, they will often end up looking like this.

Please help us to help you - Keep Sway Tidy.

28 February 2017 Quite relevant to the Great British Spring Clean is the responsibility of dog walkers to follow the New Forest Dog Walking Code and always pick up after their dog has done it's business. This responsibility extends everywhere - not just in the village on pavements. It means up on the forest - regardless of what the ponies leave. It means along our lanes in the verges - everywhere. Please pick up after your dog - Bag it and Bin it. If there is no nearby bin then take it home and dispose of it in your household waste. Don't leave it for others to encounter and definitely don't just leave the filled bag or throw it into a nearby bush or anything like that. As of today (28 Feb) the total of those I have found and disposed of in the past 11 months is now 192 bags (17 yesterday alone)! This is truly far more than just GROSS! Click on the chart opposite to see where these bags are being discarded. Dog Walkers Unite - let's all act responsibly! Pass the message on and offer doggy bags to those less prepared.

24 February 2017 End of another week of Sway Community SpeedWatch. 92 vehicle details sent to police. Highest speed recorded 50 mph in 30 limit. The registered owner of that silver Peugeot can anticipate a personal visit from the police. Pitmore Lane by the allotments is looking very disappointing with 23 speeding vehicles in 1 hour - much higher than in previous months.

15 March 2017 feedback from the police. 4 records failed PNC checks: 2 mismatch, 2 no current keeper details. 74 letter one and 11 letter two sent. The other 3 escalated for personal delivery by the police - 1 for excessively high speed, and 2 for being caught three or more times in the past 12 months.

We are looking for more volunteers. The more we have the more the workload is spread and the easier it becomes for everyone. It's a great way of helping the community and we have really interesting discussions out there! Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested.

15 February 2017 We have been lucky that this winter has been considerably dryer than previous ones. However with warmer, probably wetter weather forecast, now is the time to think about ensuring that ditches in Sway are clear of debris and able to flow freely. Several people recently have commented on the poor state of some ditches. In general, it is the responsibility of the adjacent landowner to ensure that ditches are kept clear. Failure to do so affects everybody with roads and sometimes properties suffering from flooding. So please check your ditches now.

14 February 2017 News just in regarding the next Wiggle New Forest Spring Sportive on April 8th and 9th. Click here [1Mb] for a PDF with map and details, or on the thumbnail opposite to access the UK Cycling Events website.

We can only hope that this new signage will make drivers more aware of the dangers of forest animals, however it is doubtful whether it would mean anything to the idiot driving the 2005 Red Fiat Punto Van JTD overtaking a builder's truck who had slowed down because of the ponies in the road beyond the railway bridge going north from Sway at 7:40 this morning. Nobody should be overtaking on any unfenced forest road except in very exceptional circumstances. The photo opposite shows this vehicle seconds later speeding past me at approximately 60mph.

11 February 2017 Of the 30 or so delegates at today's Police and Crime Commissioner's New Forest Rural Communities Matter Conference at Minstead, no fewer than 8 were representatives from voluntary groups that exist to support the police in their activities. Six of these were from Community SpeedWatch - three from Sway alone! The other two came from Neighbourhood Watch in Ashurst. The common theme that came across was that the police are highly dependent upon the community itself to provide the vital first line of defence that is so important in enabling a sense of safety and security within the rural communities. I hope that we managed to get across the message that, if such volunteers are valued so much, then they must be supported more visibly in order to maintain morale and help with recruiting. If so, then the conference will have been of great use. Time will tell.

29 January 2017 End of first week of Sway Community SpeedWatch activities in 2017. 81 vehicle details sent to police. Highest speed recorded 46 mph in 30 limit. Pitmore Lane South looking very disappointing with 33 speeding vehicles in 1 hour -18 of those exceeding 40 mph in the 30 limit.

We are looking for more volunteers so come along to Lyndhurst Community Centre today to find out more about volunteering in the New Forest. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk if you are interested.

Update 16 February 2017 Feedback from police shows that all 81 records passed their PNC checks. 72 letter one and 5 letter two were posted and a further 4 registered keepers will have had their letters delivered personally by the police as their vehicles have been recorded speeding 3 or more times in the past 12 months.

27 January 2017 Sway Parish Council meeting last night - a few seconds of the minutes [3Mb]. Kevin Cripps co-opted back. Memorial bench at bottom of Adlams Lane severely damaged by unknown white van - any info anyone? S106 money received - work at Stanford Rise will start soon. Jubilee field gate now repaired. B3055 animal warning signs to be erected (See 19 Jan below). SPC's vigilance of mass cycling events commended by NFNPA. NFNPA to partially fund wild play area at Stanford Rise. Jubilee Field Pavilion central heating boilers need replacing. £5,000 of PC reserves earmarked for MUGA. Full update of proposals for development of JF pavilion will be on next month's agenda. Junior football pitch in much better shape. New "No Dogs" signage appears to be working. Letters have been sent to HCC re footpath 2 and NFNPA re state of Wootton Riverine access tracks. Presentation to Cllr Thomas in recognition of his work as CSW co-ordinator over past 3 years. Parking congestion in Sway to be discussed again at next PaTC on 9th February. Ted Watts to be convener of volunteers for Great British Spring Clean March 3-5.

20 January 2017 A warning has been issued by the New Forest Dog Owners Group about possible contamination up on the forest north of Pitmore Lane / Durnstown. A dog being walked up there on Tuesday afternoon subsequently suffered severe burning around the mouth possibly caused by some corrosive chemical or bacteriological substance. Information is very sketchy at the moment, but please just be aware and check our facebook and twitter feeds for any further updates. The original alert can be viewed on our facebook page or the NFDOG one. The map opposite shows the area where the dog was walked. Click on it for a more detailed view. The dog was holding a tennis ball in its mouth for most of the walk which was dropped in puddles in the area indicated so it may have picked up something there. The tennis ball was lost further along the route and if anybody has found one in that vicinity between the afternoon of Tuesday 17th January and today, please contact us as it might help the vets with their diagnosis. Email info@sway-pc.gov.uk.

19 January 2017 New animal warning signs are to be put on the B3055 between Sway and Brockenhurst - one of the routes identified as higher risk for animal casualties. A 'wild ponies' warning sign and a safety message will be put at all cattle grid entry points, and further repeater messages will be placed throughout the route. New black posts will be used but to avoid increasing signage, the location of existing posts will be used as far as possible. Work will hopefully be completed by 31st March 2017. More details here Sway to Brockenhurst-wild pony signing proposals [1Mb]

17 January 2017 Want to get more involved in your local NHS? Why not become a Public Governor! Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, which provides community and mental health services across Hampshire including the New Forest, is currently looking for people who are interested in becoming a Public Governor for the South West Hampshire constituency. Select here for more information.

2 January 2017 Back to reality! At around 11am at Horseshoe Bottom I had a most surreal experience while clearing up after my dog. A woman walking two Weimaraners told me that she utterly disagreed with what I was doing. I was absolutely speechless to be effectively told off for being a responsible dog walker! I wonder just how many others feel the same as she does?